


Get Wasted With Me

by Broooookiecrisp



Category: Flandus - Fandom, Norman Reedus - Fandom
Genre: California, Drama, Explicit Language, F/M, Friendship, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:52:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4011781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broooookiecrisp/pseuds/Broooookiecrisp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harley Davis and her friends set off to find their dreams in L.A. after finishing college. Norman is an old family friend that helps her reach her potential in ways that she never even dreamed possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Harley

It was a beautiful California day. The sun was shining and I was sitting by my pool, soaking up the vitamin D with my friends. I guess technically it was Norm's pool, but I'd been living here for so long that I called this place my home. I've pretty much known Norman my whole life. Despite the 20 year age gap, it was love at first sight. Well, at least for me anyway. Norm was really good friends with my dad when I was growing up, and I used to follow him around like a lost puppy. When my dad got sick a few years back, Norm was the one who was there for me and he's been here for me ever since. I told him I was going to college across the country and he offered to let me stay at his place in L.A. Since he knows I'm not big on accepting charity, he played it off like I'd be doing him a favor. With his busy work schedule and his son being on the east coast, he didn't find a lot of time to make it out here. He said he needed someone to keep an eye out on his place and this way he didn't have to hire anyone to do it. It was a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. I got to move out to California, chase my dreams, and meet a lot of interesting people. That was almost 6 years ago. Today, I'm 24 years old and 2 weeks away from finishing my master's degree.

  
These last 6 years have been the best of my life. I got to spend them laughing, learning and living , with my three best friends. Harper, Leila, and Amber. Norm popped in as much as he could but when he couldn't be here, he used his friend Sean to keep a close eye on me. I didn't mind that at all, considering he was ridiculously good looking and I enjoyed his company. If I didn't think Norman would lose his mind, I would've taken a shot. Come on, he's Connor MacManus! Who wouldn't be about that?

  
The sun was at a prime location in the sky for tanning. I was sprawled out on my pool chair feeling the warmth soak into my skin. Harper was sitting beside me reading a book. The contrast between our appearances was comical. I was wearing a tasteful two piece and I was still showing a lot more skin than Harper. She was wearing a floor length sundress and a big floppy hat. Given her fair skin and red hair, she tended to burn like a crisp. She was also the sunscreen queen. I think she had already reminded to me reapply about 5 times. I thought Amber's bathing suit was going to give Harper and aneurysm, she was showing so much skin!

  
"Ugh! Why does she even bother wearing anything at all? That bikini is 3 sizes to small!" The annoyance in Harper's voice was clear.

  
She wasn't the only one feeling annoyed with Amber. I don't know what her deal was lately. Her vanity had gone into overdrive. All she cared about were superficial things and it was getting harder for us find common ground. Leila barely even spoke to her anymore. The sad part was, Amber was so wrapped up in herself that she didn't seem to notice. "I don't know, but I agree. It's gross. That can't be comfortable, her bottoms are half way up her ass."

  
Harper laughed at my bluntness. "Yeah well, I think Leila might have the right idea. Where is she anyway?"

  
"She's at the bakery. One of her employees called in sick and there was no one to cover." Leila owned a bakery called Sweet Sensations. She had just got it off the ground and it seemed to be doing really well. She was a fantastic cook but desserts were her specialty. I tried to stay away from there as much as possible because the sensation that I tended to feel was the waistline of my jeans protesting.

  
"Awe, such a good little boss! I'm so proud of her. She's worked really hard for this." She was definitely happy for Leila, but she looked a little sad.

  
"Hey, Harper.... Stop worrying about it. We've worked our asses off too. We'll get there." Harper and I were trying to set up our own company for event coordinating. We were a good team with great ideas but that wasn't enough. The only way to get clients in this town was by word of mouth. All of the big clientele already had their go to event planners. So far the only job we were able to get was a 6 year olds birthday party.

  
Just as I was about to tell her about a phone call I got about a bar mitzvah, I was interrupted by Amber screeching from the pool. "NORMAN!!!" She hopped out of the pool and bounced her way up to Norman, throwing herself around him. My first reaction was happiness because I hadn't seen him in a while and I didn't know he was coming. But that happiness quickly turned to anger. Amber had gotten him all wet and was standing there fawning over him. Every time she fake laughed at whatever he was saying, her chest jiggled inappropriately. Norman was used to the attention so it didn't seem to bother him, but I was getting more mad by the second. Harper and Leila didn't care at all about who Norm was... They saw him the way I did, as a cute, lovable dork. I've had a sneaking suspicion for a while now, that Amber was just using me for what I could give her.

  
Once Norman was able to shake Amber, he came striding over to where Harper and I were lounging. "Harley and Harper, just the ladies I want to see!" He leaned down to kiss my cheek, lifting my legs to drape them over his lap so that he could sit on the edge of my chair.

  
"Hey Norman! Long time no see." Harper seemed glad to see him too.

  
"Seriously Norm! Not that I'm not ecstatic to see you! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?! I would have picked you up from the airport." He never let me do anything for him.

"I wanted to surprise you Harls. Sean said it seemed like you were missing me." He poked my side and smiled when I flinched.

Sean was always exaggerating my moods. I have one mopey day and suddenly I can't live without seeing Norman. "Of course I miss you, but you didn't have to fly all the way out here. We both know Sean likes to tell Big Fish Stories. I'm sure whatever he told you, it's actually ten times less dramatic."

Norman was laughing at the truth in my words. "You're right, but it doesn't matter now. I'm here for the next 4 weeks. I had to be here to see you graduate! Plus, did you ever think that maybe I missed you too?"

His words made me want to hug myself. I really do love the man. "I'm glad you're back" All I could do was smile at him like an idiot.

He was mindlessly rubbing his hand up and down my calf. "Me too. It'll be nice to get a break. Hit the beach, hang out with Sean. And I was hoping that you two could help me out with something."

Harper was quick to speak up. "Sure Norm, whatever you need. We've been hanging out at your house the past 6 years. A favor is the least we could do."

I smiled at her. "What she said." I was happy that he was finally going to let me do something for him. He was always taking care of me. Now it was his turn.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He flashed us an ornery grin. "I've got some photography stuff I've been working on and I want to get it out there. I thought maybe you guys could come up with something for me. You know I hate planning shit. I'm in the mood for a good party and I'd be a great reference for you guys. Maybe you could get Leila to bring some sugar!" Even in asking us to do him a favor, he was really trying to do a favor for us. Sean must have told him we were having trouble getting clients. I need to stop telling that man things!

Harper was practically jumping out of her chair in excitement. "Oh my gosh! This is going to be so much fun! I'm going to go get my pens and notebook so I can start making lists!" 

Norman laughed as we watched her skip towards the house. When he looked to me his smile fell. "What's the matter Harley? You not wanna do it?"

"Of course I want to do it but you don't have to do this Norm. We're new at this. Are you sure you trust us with it?"

He scoffed at me. "There is no doubt in my mind that you'll pull it off. You know what I like and you know my work. I don't want some hoity-toity party planner fucking up my feel."

I giggled at his vocab. For some reason hoity-toity sounded really weird coming out of his mouth. "Alright, but just remember, you asked for it."

"I don't care what you do, just make sure Leila makes some of those chocolate cookies!" He sounded like a 5 year old.

"Haha okay! I'll go call her right now. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." I stood up and kissed him on the cheek before making my way into the house.

It was time to find Harper and crack down. We had out first big party to plan!


	2. Harper

This next month was going to be a whirlwind. Harley and I made it through graduation with flying colors but planning this party for Norman was an entirely different monster. It's our first real job so the pressure is on. All of his friends and colleagues will be at this party. If we can pull this off the opportunities could be endless!

Harley and I decided to split up the work load. She took the tasks that required a deeper knowledge of Norman and I took the rest. It didn't really matter to me, I love the entire process of planning an event. The brainstorming, the organization, the execution! It gives me a sort of rush. 

If I do say so myself, we had knocked this out of the park. It was T minus 6 hours until the party and all we had left to do was put on the finishing touches. Harley had found a very "Norman" location to host the night's festivities. It was a huge, out of the way beach house that rested cliff side. Honestly, it looked a lot like Tony Stark's mansion from the Ironman movies. The only thing missing was Robert Downey Jr. 

"Harley this place is great! Norm's gonna love it." It was just over the top enough but still oddly subtle. Perfectly Norman...

She didn't look as confident as I felt. "God, I hope so... He trusted us with this and I just don't want to let him down. What if he hates it?!"

I had to roll my eyes at her. Norman would love anything she did. She could have covered this place in purple unicorns and he'd probably still love it. "Don't be ridiculous Harley. Everything looks amazing. All that's left to do is hang the photos and we should probably let Norman do that part anyway." She gave me a resigned smile but the worry still creased her face. I needed to get her mind elsewhere. This was a good night and we should enjoy it. "Hey, do you have a copy of the guest list? I haven't seen it yet and I want to know who all is coming to this thing!" I shot her a playful wink.

My distraction tactics seemed to be working. Her smile spread across her face as she flipped through her folder. "Actually, yes I do. Norman gave me a general list of people to invite and these are the people that confirmed."

Harley handed me the paper and I scanned the list. There was a lot of people on this list that I was dying to meet. My excitement grew and grew with each name until I came across one in particular... "Oh great..."

Harley looked confused. "What? What's wrong?"

"Ethan is coming..." I felt slightly annoyed with just a hint of excitement. Excitement? What was that about?

"Yeah, Norman said it was okay to invite some of our friends."

"Friends, huh? Is that how you'd classify Ethan?"

I could tell Harley was starting to get annoyed with the direction this conversation had taken. "Yes Harper... I would consider him a friend. We've known him since college. We hang out with a lot of the same people. I'm not seeing the problem here."

She was right. We had known him for a while and he always seemed to turn up when we'd go out with friends. He just drives me insane! He knows exactly which buttons to push to get under my skin.

"I'm just not in the mood for his pretentious bullshit tonight. This is going to be a good night and I don't feel like fighting with him."

"Okay, so then don't fight with him..." She obviously didn't understand how annoying he was. 

" I'll try my best but I'm not making any promises. One douche bag comment and I'm done."

"Fair enough." She held up her hands in resignation. "Besides, you probably won't even have time to acknowledge his existence. Look at this guest list! We will be surrounded by eye candy all night. And if there's a problem just go find Sean. He's the perfect distraction!"

I had to giggle at that last point. She was right, there was never a dull moment when it came to Flanery. 

We had started scanning the guest list again when we were startled by a loud crash. One of the delivery guys had dropped a crate containing some of Norman's artwork and shattered it across the tile floor. One look at Harley and I knew we were about to have a problem. I thought her head was going to spin all the way around! 

"Are you kidding me?!" Yep, she was mad. "You better pray that none of those photos are damaged..."

The delivery guy looked like he was about to cry. Harley could be scary when she was mad. Especially when it was concerning something important to her. And Norman was at the top of that list. I could hear her reprimanding him all the way down the hallway. I just smiled and shook my head.

When I turned around Leila was walking out of the kitchen. "What was that all about?"

"One of the delivery guys just dropped some of Norman's stuff and Harley had front row seats to the whole show."

Leila's eyes widened with humor. "Uh oh! Did he run for his life?"

"Haha yeah pretty much! She's been on edge all day. I'm hoping once everything is all set up that she'll calm down a little. How's it coming with the food?"

"Great! Alex is on her way now with the delivery van. You want to show me how you want everything set up?"

"Yeah, sure. Follow me!"

We spent the next couple of hours going over the layout for the food tables and getting everything in place. It was all coming together. We even finished setting up the open bar. Thank God. I was going to need a few big girl drinks tonight. If Ethan was going to be anywhere near me I would need something to dull my senses.The man is so infuriating! He doesn't make any sense. Sometimes he can be unbelievably charming and I'll find myself attracted to him. But in the same breath he will say something so idiotic that I want to smack myself for finding him remotely appealing. What was my deal? Fighting with him was almost like a high for me. A painful, addicting high.

 I was in the middle of dreaming up witty comebacks when Norman walked through the front door. He was carrying three garment bags over his shoulder. When he saw me standing there with Leila he headed straight for us.

"It's the man of the hour!" I greeted him with a happy smile. We had him to thank for this amazing opportunity.

"Ladies.." He leaned in to kiss each of us on the cheek. "Where's Harls?"

"Upstairs. She's helping Amber get ready..." Leila rolled her eyes when she mentioned Amber. Hopefully there were no cat fights tonight.

"Ah! Okay, good. I've got some stuff to show you guys." We followed as he walked over to lay the bags down on the back of the sofa. "I wanted to do something nice for you guys after all this hard work you've done. These are my way of saying thank you." He unzipped two of the bags, revealing jaw dropping party outfits for each of us.

"This one's for you Leila. Short and sassy, just like you." She swatted him playfully and pulled the dress from the bag. It was jet black and made of a material that would hug her in all the right places. She would look amazing in it.

Her smile was blinding. Thank you Norman. It's perfect! I'll wear it tonight."

"Good. I was hoping you'd say that." He winked at her and then turned to me. "And this one's for you Harper."

I pulled the hanger from the bag to find an emerald green jumper. It was sexy and sophisticated. The legs were tapered and would stop at my shins.The top was strapless with detailed folds and a neckline that plunged into a deep v. It was beautiful.

"This color is killer on you Harper. And with those long legs of yours.... nobody is going to be looking at my photographs while you're in the room. Hmm... maybe I should take it back."

Oh Norman... So ornery but so sweet. "I love it Norm. And I've got the perfect pair of shoes to go with it."

He flashed a cute grin and picked up the third bag. "I picked this one out for Harley. Do you guys think she'll like it?"

Wow... This dress had Harley written all over it. Blue, lacey, slightly revealing. It was classy and sultry all rolled in to one. "Oh Norm... she's going to love it. You did good old man."

He held it out to look at it once more before zipping the bag. " I thought she'd make it look beautiful."

The look on his face said it all. I felt Leila nudge me with her elbow and I knew she was seeing it too. It was painfully obvious to everyone that their relationship was more than they made it out to be. Well, obvious to everyone but Norman and Harley. 

"Here." He handed me the bag. "Can you guys give it to her? I need to finish hanging some pictures."

I'm pretty sure that was code for, I'm nervous and a scaredy cat, but I agreed to help him anyway. He kissed me on the cheek again and went to kiss Leila but stopped.

"Did you bring me some sugar Leila?" The grin he was sporting was nothing but trouble. I think he just enjoyed watching how red he could make her.

Leila rolled her eyes. "Yes Norman, I brought your cookies. I even made extra for you to take home with you..."

He looked satisfied with her answer and popped a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, darlin'..."

After Norman sauntered away, Leila and I made our way upstairs to Harley and Amber. Harley was sprawled across the bed pretending to listen as Amber talked about herself while staring at her own reflection.

"We come baring gifts!" I handed her the bag. "It's from Norman."

Apparently Amber was finally interested in something other than herself. "Norman's here?!"

Geez! Put some ice on it Amber. Desperate is not an attractive look.

I took my cue from Harley and Leila and just ignored her.

"Oh..." Harley looked close to tears as she stared at the dress.

"You okay? Do you not like it?" I thought for sure she would like it but maybe I was wrong.

"I have been looking at this dress in the window at Saks for weeks..."

Leila spoke up. "He said you'd make it look beautiful."

If I'm not mistaken, Harley's cheeks pinked a little. Like I said before, it was obvious there were feelings there.

We all finished getting ready and had 45 minutes to spare until people started showing up. Harley walked out of the bathroom and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me.

"Yowza, Harper! Give me a twirl." I giggled as I turned around in a slow circle. She gave me an appreciative whistle. "Damn... Ethan won't know what hit him!" She smiled as she walked past me and out the door.

Wait, what? Ethan? Just what exactly was she insinuating? Why did I have butterflies in my stomach at the thought of him finding me beautiful?

Shake it off Harper. I'm sure he'll shatter that illusion the moment he opens his mouth...

That perfect, pouty mouth....


	3. Norman/Leila

*Norman*

The music was on, the photos were set, and the guests had started to arrive. My building excitement was palpable. I felt like I was bouncing off the walls. Harley and Harper had really outdone themselves. The atmosphere was perfect. You could tell it was a party with a purpose but it was so low key that it felt like everyone was just hanging out. Everybody had a drink in their hands, the lighting displayed my photos perfectly, and the music... I shook my head and smiled. Harley knew me well. If I didn't know any better I'd think she just plugged in my iPod. Speaking of Harley, where was she? I still hadn't seen her. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any of the girls.

"NAHMAN REEDUS!" I recognized the familiar greeting instantly. Flanery was strutting toward me with a glass of whiskey in each hand. "Here yah go brotha, drink up."

"Thanks man." I took a drink and enjoyed the warm sensation that spread through my body. "So what's up? You flying solo tonight?" It wasn't like Flanery to not have any arm candy.

"I figured there would be plenty to choose from here." It really was that easy for him. "This place looks fucking awesome. Harley and Harper did all this?"

I nodded my head with pride. "Yep, and Leila made all the food."

Sean's eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Leila?! Did she make any of those little chocolate cookies?" His eyes were scanning the food table with hope.

His enthusiasm was understandable. Leila made quite the treat. The girl has talent. Before I had a chance to answer him, he had found the cookies in question and plopped one into his mouth. He washed it down with the rest of his whisky.

"So what about you Reedustein? All those models wise up and start turning you down?" His tone and expression were teasing... smart-ass. I just grunted and shrugged my shoulders.

Something over my shoulder caught his attention and he let out a drawn-out, appreciative whistle. "Well hot damn..."

I turned around to see what had him so worked up and immediately understood. Harley was walking towards us. She looked... well, let's just say I was right about that dress. I felt like I was staring a little too long but she looked mouthwatering. I was suddenly hit with a wave of shame and embarrassment. What the fuck Reedus?! That's Harley you're looking at. Little Harley with the pigtails and the princess dresses. The problem was that now... now she was definitely not little anymore. I've always thought she was a beautiful girl but ever since I've been home something has been different. I noticed it that first day by the pool. The sun tan lotion, the bikini...

I was distracted from my inappropriate daydream when Sean started talking. He slid his hand into his t-shirt and started pumping it dramatically. He looked like one of those cartoon characters with their hearts pounding out of their chests. 

"Oh! Be still my heart... You can't come up to us old men looking the way you do. You almost killed me and I think Normy's had a stroke!" When he said that I realized I had been standing there staring at her with my mouth open.

Harley turned an adorable shade of pink. She was trying to gather her composure after the fit of laughter Sean had induced. He was so good at making her smile. She was always so bright when he was around. They had been spending a lot time together while I was gone. Maybe she liked him? That idea didn't sit well with me. It's not like I wanted to be with her. That would be weird and creepy. I was just feeling protective and looking out for her. She was way too young for Sean. 

She had finally stopped giggling and she reached up to peck Sean on the cheek. "Sorry Sean. I forgot about your pacemaker." She patted his chest over his heart and flashed him a coy smile.

Before I had the chance to register my jealousy, she turned her attention to me. She was looking at me with nothing short of adoration. "Thank you for the dress Norman. I love it. How do I make it look?"

Shit. Harper and Leila must have noticed my little slip up earlier and told her what I said. Sean was giving me a knowing look and I panicked. I couldn't think of the right thing to say so I just gave her a thumbs up like a fucking idiot. Sean was shaking his head and laughing under his breath.

I could tell by the look on Harley's face that she was disappointed with my lackluster response. What was I supposed to do? It's not like I could just come right out and tell her that she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen...

She was used to me so she recovered from my socially awkward behavior pretty quickly. She took my hand and smiled up at me. "Come with me. I've got a surprise for you too."

Uh oh... What's that mean? Please don't be anything tempting.

She lead me down the main hallway and into a side room. There was a very professional looking man sitting behind a table that was lined with smaller copies of my photographs. I wasn't quite understanding the surprise.

Harley read me like a book. "I set this up like a silent auction. People can bid on your photos and then at the end of the night we'll announce the winners. All of the proceeds go to a charity of their choosing. They can pick any charity but I made a list of some of your favorites for people to see." She handed me the list with a shy smile and nervously waited for my reaction.

This was a beautiful gesture. She knew how important this kind of thing was to me. I was starting to lose control of my emotions. I pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. "It's perfect Harley. Thank you. The whole thing is perfect. The house, the music, the food... You guys killed it."

I reluctantly let her go when she pulled back to look at my face. "I'm the one who should be thanking you Norman. You're always trying to take care of me. I know how you work Norm. You did this because you knew that Harper and I needed the publicity. You could have easily showcased this at one of the galleries in New York."

She had me there. "Yeah maybe, but look how great this turned out. This way everybody wins."

There was really no arguing with my logic. She shook her head and smiled. When she leaned up I thought she was going to kiss my cheek like she had with Sean. But like she always does, she surprised me. Her lips lightly brushed mine. It wasn't romantic, just an intimate thank you...

"Go find Sean. Enjoy the night. I'm going to track down Harper and Leila. If you need me I'll be around." She walked away from me. I let out the breath I'd been holding and made my way back out to the party.

Sean was still standing where I left him. Harley's friend Amber was currently holding his attention. I knew if I walked over there she would be all over me. When I looked around for Harley I saw her standing with a group of her friends. From the looks of it, she was in the middle of putting some preppy asshole in his place. I wasn't the only one who had noticed how fiery she could be. Someone I recognized was introducing himself to her. Judging from her smile, I'd say she was pleased. Why did I even care? It's Harley. If she's happy, I'm happy.

I looked back to Amber and Sean. They would both be a welcome distraction. Sean would make me laugh and Amber... She'd probably make hard for me to focus on much else than her. Fuck it! Why not? I indulged myself and walked up to join them....

~~~~~~~~~~

*Leila*

This event was already starting to get a little too eventful for me. I wasn't like Harper or Harley, and I wasn't even about to begin to compare myself to Amber. Harley was used to all of this from being around Norman her whole life, so she was in her element. Harper has such a huge personality that it's rare for her not to fit in instantaneously. Then there's me... This kind of socialization gives me anxiety. I was itching to get out of here. I should be at the bakery supervising Nate. He was always fucking something up and it made me really uneasy to have him in the store by himself.

Harper and Ethan were in the middle of yet another fight when Harley finally showed up. She rolled her eyes. "Ugh. What now?"

"Who knows with those two. They could fight about the weather."

She laughed and agreed with me before tuning them out. "Hey, did you bring any business cards with you? I've already had a couple of people ask me about the food." She looked over to where Sean was standing by the dessert table. "I'm pretty sure Sean has eaten an entire plate of your cookies on his own."

I dug through my purse for my business cards. Harley handing these out would definitely drum up some customers. When I looked up to hand her the cards there was a tall, gorgeous man getting ready to tap her on the shoulder. He had dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. I think I was drooling.

"Harley..." Oh god, his accent...

Her face lit up when she turned to see him. He smiled back and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Nick! Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you forever. How have you been?"

I just stood there and admired the view as they caught up with one another. I didn't even know that Harley knew Nicholas Hoult but I guess it doesn't surprise me. That's just Harley... I love her but sometimes I find myself envious of her. She just has this easy way about her. She's smart, beautiful, she's got great boobs, and she's kind. Sometimes, the kinder she was to me the more irritated I got with her.  It might seem irrational but that's how I felt. The worst part was that she was completely oblivious to it all. She was as oblivious about herself as she was about Norman. I wonder if she even noticed him staring at her right now? 

I snapped out of it when I heard Harley say my name. "This is my good friend Leila. Leila, this is Nick."

His eyes scanned my body and I was suddenly very thankful for the dress Norman had given me. "It's a pleasure to meet you Leila." He extended his hand for me to shake.

It took me a minute to respond. His eyes were so blue and he was so damn tall. Eventually I gathered myself enough to shake his hand. When he smiled at my nervousness my knees practically buckled. Could he be anymore attractive? 

He went back to chatting with Harley but he kept glancing over at me with that mesmerizing grin. He knew he was attractive and he knew that I thought he was attractive. It kinda pissed me off. He was toying with me for entertainment. My anxiety was almost unbearable by this point. I couldn't stand here and imagine what was going through his mind anymore. Did he seriously find me this interesting or was he stroking his ego at the expense of a lust struck woman? Either way, I had to get out of there.

"Harley I'm going to go say hi to Sean. It was nice meeting you Nick." I saw him raise his drink and nod his head before I turned to walk away.

I didn't really go to find Sean. I just needed a polite exscuse to walk away. I needed to be alone for a minute. Maybe I could just leave? I wonder if Harper and Harley would be pissed if I bailed? This was just really not my scene. I wanted to go home and drown my anxieties in a tub of ice cream.

I guess for now I would just settle for looking at Norman's photography. He had a great eye for this. He was really good at making ugly things pretty. Even the photos that were slightly creepy still had a haunting beauty to them. It was hard to look away. Admiring his work had successfully calmed my nerves. I felt like I was ready to rejoin my friends but then I got a phone call. When I looked at the caller ID it was the number at the bakery.

I answered with dread. "Nate? Is everything okay?"

He was freaking out. "Leila I'm so sorry! I tried to put it out but it kept getting bigger!"

"Nate what the hell are you talking about?! Calm down and tell me what's going on."

I understood him a lot more clearly this time. "I left the Fletcher wedding cake in the large oven too long and it caught fire. I couldn't get it out. The fire department is here now. They said I needed to call you..."

Well no shit! I was going to have to fire him later. He is a complete and total liability. "Okay, I'll be right there. I'm probably 20 minutes away."

I hung up the phone and texted Harley to let her know what was happening. I guess I got what I wanted, I could leave early. Be careful what you wish for I guess...

I gathered my things as fast as I could. When I rounded the corner towards the front door I slammed directly into someone. I knocked the drink from his hand and down the front of his shirt. I was so ruffled that I hadn't even looked up to see his face until I heard him talk.

"You really are in a hurry to get away from me, aren't you?" Those piercing blue eyes were laughing at me.

I wasn't in the mood for his shit. He doesn't even know me. I don't care who he is... I picked up my purse and straightened myself out. "Sorry about your shirt. Send me the bill."

He watched me walk away in awe. I doubt he'd ever been blown off before but I had more important things to deal with. Like making sure my livelihood wasn't burnt to the ground....

 

 


End file.
